


Babysitting

by BlackKittens



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:45:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackKittens/pseuds/BlackKittens
Summary: Cass babysits her one year old nephew, Tadashi, while she works out her finances.





	Babysitting

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this really quickly to break through some writer's block. I didn't edit much, so it's not that great, lol. I'm not even sure there's a real, coherent story here. But hey, baby Tadashi sounds cute, doesn't it?
> 
> It's nice to write something purely for fun without worrying about how perfect it is, like I do with my other WIPs. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Babysitting her one year old nephew hadn't been how Cass had been planning to spend her sole day off of the week, much less on Organize the Bills and Monthly Café Expenses Day, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Tadashi was a good, quiet, and curious baby boy who in her experience (never tell her sister) didn't need much watching. She could plop him down on the couch with a bundle of blankets spread out, turn on the TV and flip it to some kids channel, and he'd be mesmerized by the screen until he fell asleep. Cass had actually once watched him loll his head around, as if following imaginary stars circling his head, and fall flat on his side, dead asleep on the blankets while the television played. It was funny (never tell her sister.) Now that he could walk, she had to be a little more careful, because he could - and often did - climb off the couch, but her solution to that had been baby-proofing everything he could reach, baby-gating both sets of stairs, and laying another bundle of blankets on the living room floor in case he collapsed asleep standing up. (This was why she was never going to be a parent. Why did her sister and brother-in-law trust her with their kid?)

The only reason she had to watch him today was because Danielle was at work and Ken, who should have had the day off, had been called in to his workplace. He had texted Cass ahead of time to ask if she would babysit Tadashi, and promptly brought him over when she'd agreed.

Cass had forgotten, however, that meant being alone with Ken for a few minutes - not that Danielle ever really controlled him, but still.

It had started out all right at first, with him sincerely thanking her for this:

"I can't thank you enough, Cass," Ken had said, setting Tadashi down on the floor and rifling a yellow pacifier out of his diaper bag. "I promise it'll only be a few hours, not the entire work day. You sure you don't want me to pay you for your time?"

After she'd said no, laughing that Tadashi was a sweetheart and she loved to have him, Ken had turned very seriously towards his son - which had been Cass' first groan-worthy clue - and popped the pacifier in Tadashi's mouth with these faux-whispered words of warning, "Remember, Tadashi, we talked about this: If your crazy cat lady aunt turns you into a cat while I'm gone, just bring me this binkie when I come back, all right? That's how I'll know it's you, and not one of the strays I _know_ she keeps hidden behind the walls. Daddy will save you!"

Cass had put her hand on her cheek, a deadpan smile growing on her face. "You think you're so funny, don't you? I regret making that joke about being a cat lady someday so much, you know that?"

"I am funny," Ken agreed, standing up with a large grin. "Aaaand, I don't have time to think of a better joke, gotta run! Again, thank you so much, Cass, he's got three bottles of milk in the bag that should go in the fridge, bye!"

Her brother-in-law, folks. Cass loved him dearly and considered him one of her best friends, and if she felt like being honest one of these days, she'd admit Tadashi probably got his sweet demeanor from him, but good lord - the man was almost as in love with cracking stupid jokes as he was his own wife. How would she even turn Tadashi into a cat and why would she do that in the first place?

Ah, well. So far, Tadashi was being his usual, well-behaved self, sucking on his pacifier on the couch as he watched Veggie Pals dance on TV.

Cass, meanwhile, was going over her finances at the kitchen table. Ugh. This was the only part she hated about owning her own business. She was suddenly glad math had been her best subject in school.

"Bugh-bugh-bugh," she heard Tadashi sing through his pacifier across the apartment. When she lifted her head, she saw him bobbing his head from side to side, eyes glued to the TV. "Bugh-bugh-bugh. Bugh-bugh-bugh."

"What'cha singing, Tadashi?" she asked sweetly.

Tadashi's neck jerked, and he stared at her bewildered. Cass giggle-snorted. He was such an expressive baby; he looked like she had just caught him in the shower, not singing along with whatever the Veggie Pals were doing.

"Logh," he said through the pacifier, eyes wide as saucers.

"Oh, that's sounds nice!" she heightened her voice. "Can you sing 'Logh' for Aunt Cassie from the top? It's such a pretty song."

"Logh," he repeated, still bewildered.

When he didn't start singing again, only continued to stare, Cass shrugged and redirected her attention to her finances. Babies were babies, after all. They didn't understand much. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn back to the TV.

Right, her bills and expensive. And the bank loan money she had to keep The Lucky Cat Café afloat until it finally made its own profit. She added all the numbers together and subtracted the deductions -

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tadashi climbing down the couch. Cass glanced up, wondering where he was going. Not that this was unusual, but because she was curious and math was a bit boring.

She watched Tadashi stumble his way over to the fireplace, and place his hands on the protective layer she had put there. His face scrunched up, pouting.

Cass stifled a chuckle. "Oh, no. You're not playing with the ashes again, mister," she called out to him.

Tadashi's whole body jerked in surprise, and he looked up at her with a half open mouth - she was shocked the binkie didn't fall out - as if she had just caught him committing a super secret crime.

Cass did not stifle this next laugh. "You little - you _know_ playing with the fireplace ashes is bad, don't you? You silly, silly boy, get away from there this instant!"

Tadashi's face crumbled, and Cass's joy immediately went out the window as her heart leapt to her throat. He looked like he was about to cry, and she barely knew what to do when he cried. He had only cried a handful of times in her care, and that was mostly when he was a newborn. He wasn't hungry and didn't need a diaper change, how was she supposed to calm him down if he wanted to play with the fireplace ashes!? Remove the protective layer and give them to him!? Her sister would kill her! He'd tried to eat them last time!

Luckily, no tears escaped his eyes and his face didn't turn bright red. Instead, as if admonished, he sulkingly turned for the couch.

Cass sighed in relief. "Phew."

She returned to her math. Okay, so this month's food supply had cost...

Tadashi squeaked.

Now it was her head's turn to jerk up. She saw his black hair peaking over the furthest couch arm, little hands clinging tightly to the ledge of the window.

She relaxed. "What's the matter, Tadashi?" she asked. "Do you wanna look outside?"

He squeaked again.

Cass was tempted to get up and lift him so he could see out the window. Ah, but her bills...

She'd play with him when she was done. She was almost done.

As she worked, Tadashi wandered over to her place at the kitchen table and stared up at her, sucking noisily on his pacifier.

Cass didn't look up, still writing her numbers down. "What is it, baby?"

"Bughgo," Tadashi grunted. "Gahgo."

Cass nodded sagely at his nonsense. She distantly wondered when he would start speaking real words. "That sounds like so much fun, sweetie."

"Ughssssss," he drew out the 'S' sound. "Gughsssssss."

"Very good, Tadashi," Cass replied absently. "You'll be reciting Hamlet's soliloquy in no time."

"Baghughn."

"I know, you'll be the star of the show. We'll finally have some acting talent in this family."

"Dolaaaaaagh."

"No, if we let your daddy up on a stage, our entire family would have to wear bags over our heads for the rest of our lives - and he'd probably think it's hilarious, too. You probably get it from Mommy's side. Grandma Georgina likes theater. Well, as a viewer, but you know what I mean."

"Blah lah daaaah."

"I love you, too, my sweet boy."

Cass dropped her pen and froze.

The math was done. Her finances for the month were done. And god, the end result of all her hard work was -

"The café made a three thousand dollar profit," Cass said out loud in astonishment, staring at the solution to her math in astonishment. "The café made a profit. The café made a profit!"

She leaped to her feet, completely missing how Tadashi's head jerked and his eyes widened, and she jumped around in a happy, limb flailing circle, laugh-squealing in utter delight.

"Tadashi, baby!" she cooed, bending over with lights shining in her eyes, "Aunt Cassie's café made enough money to pay all her bills! If this keeps up, she won't have to rely on bank loans anymore! - Well, except for paying them back, but that's not important!" She pumped her fists in the air, cackling in excitement.

Tadashi blinked up at her. He probably thought his auntie was crazy, Cass thought, crazy like his daddy always told him she was, but that didn't dampen her mood. The café could finally support itself AND her!

"Yay, yay, yay!" She jumped in another limb-flailing circle.

When she looked back down at her nephew, Tadashi smiled a gummy smile through his pacifier. He raised his little hands into fists parallel to his face, and carefully spun around on his stubby legs, grunting, "Yugh-yugh-yugh-yugh!"

Cass' heart promptly grew three time in size and melted. She swooped him up in her arms, planting a giant smooch on his face. "Oh, you're mine," she told him in a low voice, grinning wildly. "Danielle may be your mommy, and Ken somehow fathered you, but you're mine."

Tadashi giggled, and sucked on his pacifier.

Cass tossed him in the air and caught him. "The Lucky Cat Café made a profit! YES!"

Tadashi squealed. "Yohs!"

"And you're learning how to talk," Cass squeezed him against her chest. "Ah, wait until I tell your mommy and daddy!"

Tadashi buried his face in her neck, giggling loudly. He probably didn't understand what was going on, but liked the attention.

She was just glad to have someone here to celebrate with.

(Twenty years from then, this would be one of the memories Cass looked back on tearfully, and desperately wished she could have back.)

**Author's Note:**

> Aww, look, I ruined it with that last line because I wasn't sure how to end this! :)
> 
> Fun fact:
> 
> "When she looked back down at her nephew, Tadashi smiled a gummy smile through his pacifier. He raised his little hands into fists parallel to his face, and carefully spun around on his stubby legs, grunting, "Yugh-yugh-yugh-yugh!""
> 
> I literally only wrote this fic for that line, because Tadashi jumps for joy in excitement just like Cass does in the movie. That was my inspiration and the only reason this exists lol.


End file.
